Guided by its corporate philosophy, “Our Philosophy,” the Sumitomo Rubber Group has established long-term sustainability targets known as “Driving Our Future Initiatives” to address social issues through its business activities. These targets are based on seven material issues identified through an assessment of risks and opportunities across the entire value chain and are designed to accelerate progress toward the Group’s envisioned future.
“Driving Our Future Initiatives” has been approved by the Management Committee, demonstrating a clear commitment at the management level. Progress toward each target is regularly monitored and evaluated by the Sustainability Promotion Committee.
Specific initiatives are planned and implemented primarily by Sustainability Promotion Working Groups operating under a company-wide, cross-functional organizational structure. To further enhance the effectiveness of these efforts, key performance indicators (KPIs) and other important metrics are linked to the objectives and compensation of responsible executive officers. Progress on these initiatives will be disclosed on our website.
| Material Issues | “Driving Our Future Initiatives” | Related SDGs |
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Innovation for Solving Social Issues
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・Realize a safe mobility society through the expansion of high-performance products utilizing advanced technologies, including ACTIVE TREAD technology
・Realize a safe mobility society by providing experiential value through AI technology, in addition to SENSING CORE technology ・Promote player health and growth by enhancing the appeal of sports through gear that fuses advanced technology with human sensibility ・Promote lifelong sports participation and extending healthy life expectancy by providing experiential opportunities for all age groups ・Realize safe, secure, and comfortable living and community development by providing high-quality, competitive products that address diverse societal needs ・Create new value by launching businesses centered on rubber analysis, evaluation, design, and visualization technologies, starting from societal issues and prospective customer needs ・Build an innovation foundation by expanding our base of challenge-oriented talent, reinforce the organizational systems that facilitate challenge-driven initiatives, and advance co-creation with diverse partners |
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Climate Change
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・Scope 1 and 2: 55% reduction in emissions compared to 2017 levels by 2030 (SBT) and carbon neutrality by 2050
・Scope 3: 25% reduction in Cat 1 (SBT) and 10% reduction in Cat 4 compared to 2021 levels ・Accelerating the adoption of next-generation energy sources, including hydrogen |
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Circular Economy
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・40% sustainable material ratio by 2030 and 100% by 2050
・100% Standard certification rate and 30% Gold certification rate under the Sustainable Product Certification Program by 2030. ・190% of 2019 sales volume for retread tyres by 2030. |
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Biodiversity
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・100% sustainable natural rubber procurement by 2050
・100% water recycling rate at water risk sites by 2050 ・Research and mitigation efforts regarding the environmental impact of tyre and road wear particles ・Research on the environmental impact of microplastics derived from artificial turf and initiatives to reduce their release |
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Human Rights
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・Continue to achieve zero serious accidents ・Establish and review UN-aligned grievance mechanism ・Ongoing human rights due diligence: identify, address, assess, and disclose risks |
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Diverse Talents
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・80% employee empathy score for "Our Philosophy" by 2030 (KPI) (group) ・58% employee engagement score by 2030, 65% by 2035 (KPI) (standalone) ・12% female managers by 2030 (KPI) (standalone) |
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Governance
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・Board of Directors composed of members with diverse skills and attributes ・Conduct external board effectiveness evaluations and engage with institutional investors ・Promote tax compliance aligned with international rules and utilize Advance Pricing Agreements based on tax risk |
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